If you live in or near a major American city, you might have a coyote problem. Since food is plentiful and life is easy-going in metropolitan areas and suburbs, coyotes have begun taking up residence — much to the surprise of scientists. According to an article on PR-inside.com, there are an estimated 5,000 coyotes roaming the streets of Los Angeles County.

“As cities expand and homes, shopping centers and office buildings go up in areas where coyotes have previously lived or hunted, the two environments will sometimes conflict,” says Jeff Ripley, director of Texas Cooperative Extension.

Using wolf urine as a deterrent could be the natural solution to this growing problem. Ken Johnson of Lexington Outdoors says that wolves are one of the coyote’s few natural predators, and they instinctively try to avoid areas where they believe wolves are present. The website for Lexington’s Predator Pee company states that “in the animal world, urine is the great communicator. It not only warns prey of the presence of a predator, but also communicates territorial boundaries to members of like species.”